Pennsylvania Firearm Owners Association
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  1. #1
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    Default Kahr MK9 spring guide rod replacement

    I haven't found too much recent info about this, so I'll try a new post.

    The all-steel 9mm Kahr MK9 is a nice hefty little compact and thus far I'm very satisfied with its performance.

    But one issue I have with the so-called all-steel pistol is that the spring guide rod itself is actually plastic (save for that little disk on the end)!


    Replacement of the above is around $14.

    They do sell a stainless rod replacement for around $40, and a facsimile can be gotten for about $35 from another company that sells on Gunbroker. They're basically the same unit:


    And there's another company, Wolff, that sells a replacement version, complete with new springs, for around $35... the difference with the Wolff version is that it's non-captive, e.g.


    Anyway, even if just for aesthetics and that warm-and-fuzzy feeling of not having internal plastic, I'm going to get one of the metal varieties, and I'm wondering if anyone has experience with the Wolff version... or any experience at all with the replacement of the guide rod.

  2. #2
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    Default Re: Kahr MK9 spring guide rod replacement

    I have the Wolf steel rods on my K-40 and T-9, and have their two-piece setup on my Glock 36. I like being able to vary the spring weights with the open-end rods. I'm very happy with all the Wolf products.
    "He was born with the gift of laughter and a sense that the world was mad."
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    Default Re: Kahr MK9 spring guide rod replacement

    Quote Originally Posted by 1832 View Post
    I have the Wolf steel rods on my K-40 and T-9, and have their two-piece setup on my Glock 36. I like being able to vary the spring weights with the open-end rods. I'm very happy with all the Wolf products.
    Good to know... from the pictures it looks like the Wolff rods aren't stainless, rather steel with black coating to prevent corrosion... is that true, or am I misinterpreting the picture?

    Also, the replacement stainless rods from the other companies actually screw in at the end, so it looks like spring replacement will be easy with those too, as opposed to the current plastic rod that is press-fitted.
    Last edited by Robert Kayland; October 9th, 2008 at 10:23 AM.

  4. #4
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    Default Re: Kahr MK9 spring guide rod replacement

    Robert,

    I bought Kahr's all-steel guide rod for the MK9. See here:





    It was a bit pricey, but so far I'm very happy with it. Looks nice and gets the job done. I never had problems with the plastic one, but I just didn't like the way it looked. In addition, I had seen reports of the plastic guide rods snapping/shearing under stress, especially after a high round count, due to the guide rod's small amount of flex when the springs get compressed.

    Hope it helps.
    "Political Correctness is just tyranny with manners"
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    "America does not go abroad in search of monsters to destroy." [sic]
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  5. #5
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    Default Re: Kahr MK9 spring guide rod replacement

    Quote Originally Posted by ChamberedRound View Post
    Robert,

    I bought Kahr's all-steel guide rod for the MK9. See here:



    It was a bit pricey, but so far I'm very happy with it. Looks nice and gets the job done. I never had problems with the plastic one, but I just didn't like the way it looked. In addition, I had seen reports of the plastic guide rods snapping/shearing under stress, especially after a high round count, due to the guide rod's small amount of flex when the springs get compressed.

    Hope it helps.
    Yep, that's what I'm talkin' about! Rep to ya.

    Kind of aggravating that they charge as much as they do for the pistol and then skimp on this one little part.
    Last edited by Robert Kayland; October 9th, 2008 at 10:53 AM.

  6. #6
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    Default Re: Kahr MK9 spring guide rod replacement

    Quote Originally Posted by Robert Kayland View Post
    Yep, that's what I'm talkin' about! Rep to ya.

    Kind of aggravating that they charge as much as they do for the pistol and then skimp on this one little part.
    Agreed. And then charge what they do for the part. But it's still a FINE pistol

    Word to the wise: make sure to get some Loctite, the non-permanent type (I believe that's the Blue, but I forget), to put in the threads of the guide rod cap. This way, it doesn't loosen up and work its way free over time.
    "Political Correctness is just tyranny with manners"
    -Charlton Heston

    "[The Constitution preserves] the advantage of being armed which Americans possess over the people of almost every other nation...(where) the governments are afraid to trust the people with arms."
    -James Madison, Federalist Papers, No. 46.

    "America does not go abroad in search of monsters to destroy." [sic]
    -John Quincy Adams

    "I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies."
    -Thomas Jefferson

    Μολών λαβέ!
    -King Leonidas

  7. #7
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    Default Re: Kahr MK9 spring guide rod replacement

    Quote Originally Posted by ChamberedRound View Post
    Agreed. And then charge what they do for the part. But it's still a FINE pistol

    Word to the wise: make sure to get some Loctite, the non-permanent type (I believe that's the Blue, but I forget), to put in the threads of the guide rod cap. This way, it doesn't loosen up and work its way free over time.
    Good tip.

    I wrote their customer service an e-mail and complained about how I paid top dollar for an "all-steel" version of the PK9, namely the MK9, and then find out an integral component was plastic, and that they then nickel-and-dime for another $41. Bad form... for what should be an elite level of company and product.

    We'll see if they feel guilty about it and reply.

  8. #8
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    Default Re: Kahr MK9 spring guide rod replacement

    Just an update for anyone interested in this MK9 upgrade thread.

    I went ahead and bought both the stainless rod replacement and the Wolff open-end rod and spring replacement.

    Turns out that Kahr subcontracts the stainless rod out to TCS in NY, so just go over to GunBrokers and buy it there for $10 cheaper.

    At first I thought Kahr's version would have a little better quality because the picture on their site shows what appears to be a more polished overall finish and the protuding screw-in cap end of the rod as being rounded off a little for a more elegant appearance.


    But when you get the rod from Kahr (along with the TCS packaging!), it's the same as that pictured on the TCS auction site with the non-rounded end.


    So there's $10 I overspent... on any already over-priced item ($42) that Kahr should have put in their "all-steel" MK9 to begin with.

    Anyway, as per the earlier post's version of the MK9 that you see with the stainless rod, it looks very elegant... I touched mine down a tiny bit on a grinding wheel (at the end where the cap screws into the rod) to make the rod a little shorter so that it fit in the circular outlet of the frame a little more flush, but it's basically the same as the previous picture you see from ChamberedRound. In order to take the springs from your stock black plastic piece, just compress the unit down and snip off the cap with pruning shears or the equivalent... and wear eye protection and hold onto those springs while you're doing it!

    Now the Wolff is a little different design, and not stainless, but steel with a black coating to resist corrosion. The design differs too in that it's "open end" and doesn't bind the two springs into a "single unit" combined piece... rather, when you take your gun apart, the two pieces of the rod and the two springs come apart too... allows for better cleaning and easier changing of springs, if you wish to go up or down in weight. Wolff offers three different sets of springs, all varying by about 2 pounds of tension (18.5, standard 20.5, and 22.5, if memory serves).

    And although it's obviously not as elegant as the stainless, it has its own film noir-ish aesthetic appeal... a black aperture, almost as if your pistol has a second barrel under the main one...

    And of course this rod is much more solid than the stock plastic black piece that Kahr gives you. The Wolff rod and spring set sold for $36, the rod by itself $31, so obviously the combined set was the better deal... and I don't know if they made a mistake or not, but I also received a firing pin spring along in the package.

    Anyway, just wanted to keep any future MK9 upgraders a head's up on the choices and best way to buy.

  9. #9
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    Default Re: Kahr MK9 spring guide rod replacement

    Nice update Robert, thanks. When I ordered the part from the Kahr website, the site did mention that while it was a drop-in part, it might require "custom fitting". When I installed the guide rod and saw the end protruding slightly from the cutout on the slide, I realized that was likely what they meant. If you can, post some pics; I'd like to see how it looks sitting flush with the slide.

    As for the end not being rounded off like the pic on the Kahr site, I never noticed that. Another tip I might need to follow, I'm just afraid I'll mangle it up.
    "Political Correctness is just tyranny with manners"
    -Charlton Heston

    "[The Constitution preserves] the advantage of being armed which Americans possess over the people of almost every other nation...(where) the governments are afraid to trust the people with arms."
    -James Madison, Federalist Papers, No. 46.

    "America does not go abroad in search of monsters to destroy." [sic]
    -John Quincy Adams

    "I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies."
    -Thomas Jefferson

    Μολών λαβέ!
    -King Leonidas

  10. #10
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    Default Re: Kahr MK9 spring guide rod replacement

    Quote Originally Posted by ChamberedRound View Post
    Nice update Robert, thanks. When I ordered the part from the Kahr website, the site did mention that while it was a drop-in part, it might require "custom fitting". When I installed the guide rod and saw the end protruding slightly from the cutout on the slide, I realized that was likely what they meant. If you can, post some pics; I'd like to see how it looks sitting flush with the slide.

    As for the end not being rounded off like the pic on the Kahr site, I never noticed that. Another tip I might need to follow, I'm just afraid I'll mangle it up.
    I tried to take some pictures but they didn't look so good, but I'll try again in better lighting and post later. I'll try to get a real good shot of the Wolff version too, because that's the one I'm actually sticking with for now.

    I didn't make my stainless rod absolutely flush, just a bit closer than it was "out of the bag"... what I did was unscrew the cap, and then VERY lightly touch the shaft of the rod end (into which the cap screws) to a grinding wheel, keeping it as square as possible, and then touching it up with some 320 grit paper to remove the sharp edge... I doubt I took off more than .010", just enough so that when the gun was reassembled, the cap didn't stick out in its entirety beyond the plane of the frame. It's really something that should be done on a lathe to keep things absolutely square, but it worked out fine. Pictures shortly.

    As far as the rounding off the edge of the cap, that would enhance the appearance too, I'm sure... I was hoping the rod would actually look like the picture on the Kahr website... naive me! Back when I was a machinist and had a good lathe I might have taken care of that myself too... but I left it alone on this one since I don't really have access to a good lathe... heck, if I did, I'd crank these babies out myself and sell 'em for half!
    Last edited by Robert Kayland; October 17th, 2008 at 05:20 AM.

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